Apparatus for separating conjointly gathered bag tube walls



Oct. 28, 1952 w w. RQWE ETAL 2,615,375

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING CONJOINTLY GATHERED BAG TUBE WALLS Filed Aug. 24, 1948 3 She ts-Sheet l AT'roRNEvs.

Oct. 28, 1952 w. w. ROWE ETAL APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING CONJOINTLY GATHEZRED BAG TUBE WALLS Filed Aug. 24, 1948 3 Sheets-:Sheet 2 AT ORNE S.

1952' w.'w. ROWE ETAL APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING CONJOINTLY GATHERED BAG .TUBE WALLS Filed Aug. 24, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I p l i m. R E m M N firm w mm. #4 ML? Patented Oct. 28, 1952 APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING CONJOINTLY GATHERED BAG TUBE WALLS William Wallace Rowe, Carroll L. Spangler, and Roy 0. Frick, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to Cincinnati Industries, Inc., Lockland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application August 24, 1948, Serial No. 45,888

Claims.

In a process of making bags a bag tube having one or more longitudinal seams may be first formed from suitable web material, after which the bag tube may be creped and then corrugated,

the corrugations being crushed. The bag tube, as will be understood, is characterized by superposed walls; and then creping, corrugating and crushing steps are performed concurrently on these superposed walls, resulting in conjoint creping crinkles and in conjoint corrugations and pleats. This results in causing the walls to cling together. While such bag tubes are useful with-v out preliminary separation of the walls, there are many uses for which such a separation would be desirable.

A principal object of this invention therefore is the provision of methods and means for efiecting a separation of conjointly gathered bag tube walls.

In effecting such a separation, it is desirable to leave as much as possible of the resident stretchability in the walls themselves, so that another object of this invention is the provision ofmeans and methods for eiIecting such a separationwithout unduly diminishing the stretchability of the resultant product.

It is an object of this invention to provide a means for separating the Walls of a conjointly gathered bag tube in a continuous operation, which is carried on prior to the severance of the bag tube structure into bag lengths, and may be carried on if desired as an incident to the manufacture of bag tubes having conjointly gathered walls.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a means and method whereby separation of conjointly gathered walls may be carried on in a flat bag tube, and as an incident to this operation, the bag tube may be given another form, for example, the form of an intucked or bellows-folded bag tube.

These and other objects of the invention which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, we accomplish by those procedures, and through the use of those assemblies of apparatus of which we shall now describe certain exemplary embodiments. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of one procedure which we may employ for separating the conjointly gathered walls of a bag tube.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same apparatus.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the conjointly gathered bag tube structure prior to separation,

2 and is taken along the section line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the walls, of the bag tube after they have been separated, and is section line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of an intucked or bellows-folded bag tube, and is taken along the section line 8-3 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view of another form of apparatus which we may employ.

Figure 10 is a plan view of a roller element. Figure 11 is an elevational view with parts in section showing yet another form of wall separating means.

Figure 12 is a plan View related toFigure 11.

Figure 13 is a vertical sectional'view. showing a modificationof the apparatus of Figure 9.

Figure 14 is a side elevation of another separating and in tucking apparatus.

, Figure 15 is a sectional View taken along the line l5--l5of Figure 14.

Figure 16- is a sectional view of yet another separating means.

In Figure 3, we have indicated diagrammatically at I a bag tubewhich may be thought of, by way of example, as'a tubular paper structure with superposed walls, these walls being characterized by conjoint, transverse, creping crinkles andby conjoint longitudinal corrugations which have been crushed to form pleats as at 2. It will be understood that these conjoint rugosities have the effect of holding the bag walls together and retarding their separation. The bag tube will be characterized by one or more adhesively secured longitudinal seams, which'have not been illustrated because they are variable in number and placement, and do not affect the operation of the present invention. Moreover, the precise manner in which the bag tube of Figure 3'has been manufactured does not form a limitation on the present invention and will not here be outlined, excepting to indicate that it is a continuous process resulting in the formation-of the bag tube in indefinite lengths which may be handled as such. It will be understood, moreover, that the specific types of rugosities which cause the bag walls to cling together do not form a limitation on this invention, and indeed that 3 this invention is applicable to the separation of the walls of any bag tube which have been caused to cling together lightly through any agency such, for example, as a light application of adhesive.

The problem to which this invention is ad-' This problem is compli separating means either require *no external support, or may be supported within the bag tube by external means acting wholly through the bag tube .walls which are interposed between the external means and the interior separating means.

In Figure l, we have illustrated a simple mode of 'efiectingiseparation'. The-bag tube I is shown as travelling in the direction ofthe arrows'and passing first through a pair of pinch rolls 5 and 6. Another pair of pinchrolls 9 and II], is shown in spaced relation to the first pair of pinch rolls; and from these latter rolls the bag tube may travel to 'a station'whereit is cut into desired bag vlengths, as'by a fly-knifeapparatus II, the"len'gths. beingJstacked as at I2.

In order 'to' effect separation, after "the bag tubehas .passed through'the pinch rolls" 5 and 6, but before it is engaged by'the subsequent pinchr'olls, we inflate'it with air 'or'other gas. gas is entrapped within the bag tube in that fporti'on of it which. extends between the tw'o'setsof pinch rolls. This portion'is indicated at I3, and a cross-section of theibag tube after theseparation. has.been effected by these means is indicatedafI-a-a in Figure 4.

The air.or other g'as entrapped 'in the section l3of the'bag tube'remains between the pairs of .pinch. rolls 'because it is largely prevented from *escaping' between the layers .of. the. bag forming material as engaged and compressed bythese pinch rolls. Thus the body of .air or gas remains in one place while the bag tube trav'elsyand continuously acts to effect a separation *of the'walls of the-traveling bag tube.

While'it is to'be expected that some air or gas'=willi'e'scape between the pinch rolls, it will be undersitood that'this escape is slow, so that thef method. illustrated. inFigure 1 is efiective in r roducingia' separation: of conjointly gathered bag-tube'-walls-in-a bag tube of very considerablalength, i. e. a bag .tube forming a roll of the material' of a size convenient for handling in .factory-operations. Covering the pinch rolls 5, 6 and-9, I0.-with-a layer of soft rubberimprovesthe contactproduced between opposite bag;,walls..when .pressedtogether, and hence helps, tojprevent the-passage, of air or. gas throughfthe .pinch."rolls.'. 'Should the .gas becomedepleted in thesection I3, it is within the scopeo'f our'invention "to renew it by'separating rolls'-9-and"I0, reinfiating the section and clamping--the=rol1sdown again upon the material. Thismayl-ikewise be don if thereis any appreciable-* loss of air through the body of'the WGbL fIOm WhiCh thEbaQ tube is made.

InfFigures 5 00''? inclusive, we have shown thexbagttube l extendin between lower pinch rolls I4 and.I5 and-=-upper pinch rolls I6 and II. In the flight of the bag tube between these pairs of rolls, we have indicated a filling of freely fiowable material I8. This material may be any substance of sufficient weight and resistance to abrasion, having freely flowing characteristics and devoid of marked :tendency to clingtc the separated walls of the'bag' tube. By way of example, hard, metallic or ceramic balls are excellent for use in this embodiment of our invention.

The material I8 should have suflicient Weight to act as effective separation means for the bag tube walls against the resistance of these walls to separation; and suflicient weight to keep it in thexlower part'of the flight of the bag tube between the sets'of pressure rolls. By reason of therweight involved, we usually prefer to provide.means to limit the expansion of the bag walls after they have been separated, to avoid an undue removal of stretchability therefrom. One such means is illustrated-"in Figures 5 to 7. Here we haveshownan endlefss belt I9 pass ing around the pinch-roll-"I II and an upper-roll I 20. Another endIess-beltfiZ-I passesaround the pinch roll I 4a--'and"an'upperroll" 22l= The ap paratus is arranged sb that the f-acing surfacesof ---these -*beltsform a *sor-tof funnelshapedorifice" through whichthe "baggtube passes-fi A pair-of tapered side plates --2 3 and 2 4;- complete the -outlines Y ofthisorifiek The steelballs I8 or other separatingmaterial remain 4 in the orifice by gravity? 'Ihy-separate-the bag tube walls, but the extentof this 'separation is limited"- bythe belts I 9 and 2 I a'n'd' by the--plates 23 and" 24 so that an undue stretching of the ba'g"- tube" walls -does not occur.-'

The plates 23 and -2'4" for'm the side' porti'ons'of the bag tube 'flat, as 'Will be' understood; Thi's'has an additional advantage in that we may 11se"in-' denting rollersindicated at i 25 and 26 to intuck the'side "edges Of thebag tubebeforeit reaches the pinchzrolls Ifi stndd-hf Inthis waywemay form -theliintucked'orb'ellows" folded tube shown at I' b in "Figure fi, and characterized' by ithe" re-entrant' portions *2 I and 28. 5 The-indenting may be done (as -shownifatia pointwherethe" steel ballsi will support th dge 'p rtionS of the formed-bag tube beyond 'the' engaging pOiritsJof the peripheries of 'thediscs 725 andT26fso that'the" folding becomespositiv'eh Additional 'idiscs as .at ZSaand ZEziimay 'be"employed to 'maintain. the folds (until the bag tube -is engagedandcollapsed by the upper pinch rolls 'I6 and I'IkThisJform of bag tube is advantageous formany purposes.

Whencut to lengths,.it may be-clos'ed by'a' bot- 1 tom searn,. .and when so treated-it maybe .more a readily inserted-intoan outer bag or-other struc'ei: ture ito be lined;- byr'rea-son: of :itsi initialiyslesser' Width;

In Figures 9 and 13, wei'have illustrated-yet anothen modeatand. apparatus foreffecting -the separation :of bag tube walls. Here the'bag tube the large rolls29"a'nd'*3fl."However, a less .frictional" and more positively controlled .arrangementis preferred; as'illu'stratediin said figures and now "to bedescribed:

A pair of small rolls-3| and'32 "a'reinserted-in the 'bag-tubeand come to rest adjacent the bite betweenrolls 29 andIaII. ""These small rolls'are preferably of the form shown in Figure 10, having rounded ends. They are supported by rolls 29 and 30 through the walls of the bag tube l, as will be clear from Figure 9; but in order that they may retain their positions adjacent the bite of rolls 29 and 30 we provide external retainers. These may take the form of rolls 33 and 34 mounted upon sets of arms 35 and 33 so that the positions of the rolls may be'madeadjustable. Adjustment may be had through set screws 37 and 38 or other suitable means engaging external frame members of the machine. The small rolls 33 and 34 lie partly above the interior rolls 3| and 32, and, engaging them only through the walls of the bag tube they neverthelessserve to keep the rolls 3| and 32 in position with their axes substantially .in a horizontal plane. While we have illustrated a vertical movement of the bag tube, this is not necessary, in the structures of Figures 9 and 13 where the separating means are positively retained in position.

A variant of this apparatus is illustrated in Figure 13 where we have passed belts 33 and. 43 about the peripheries of the large rolls 29 and 33 and the retaining rolls 33 and, 34. These belts further assist in driving rolls 3|, 32, 33 and 34, in maintaining the positions of the separating rolls 3| and 32, and in carrying the walls of the bag tube through the apparatus itself without undue stressing and stretching. It will be understood that the roll arrangement is such that the separating rolls 3| and 32 not only turn with each other at their line of meeting but also turn with the web material of the bag tube i as this material passes over their surfaces. The frictional stresses on the material of the bag tube in this apparatus are at a minimum.

The pinch rolls 29 and 30 are preferably driven,

which in turn drives the remainder of the illustrated rolls through the medium of the belts 39 and 40 and the walls of the bag tube. driving combinations may be employed.

In Figure 16 we have shown the bag tube passing over a diverting roll 48 and downwardly between relatively large pinch rolls 49 and 53. Within the bag tube we provide a series of small rolls 5|, 52, 53 and 54 journaled in a cage of which an end plate is shown at 55. The arrangement of rolls is such that opposite pairs rest, through the bag tube walls, against the respective pinch rolls. Frictional relationships are minimized because all rolls can rotate with the bag tube walls, and the equal and opposite downward forces tend to hold the internal assembly of rollers from displacement.

In Figures 11 and 12, we have illustrated yet another embodiment of separating means. The bag tube I may be drawn forwardly by pinch rolls 4| and 42 and by another pair of pinch rolls 43 and 44 in spaced relationship to the first pair, or by any other instrumentalities in a machine assembly having the effect of moving the bag tube. In threading the bag tube through this apparatus, we have inserted within it a separating roll 45, preferably of the form shown in Figure 10. This roll is supported, through the lower wall of the bag tube, upon. external rolls 46' and 47 which are preferably driven. It will be seen that in this pyramid system of rolls, the roll 45 can rotate so as to move with the web forming the lower wall of the bag tube as it moves through the apparatus. Similarly, rolls 4% and 41 will rotate so as to move with the surface of the lower wall of the bag tube. The position of the roll 45 may be maintained by gravity alone, assuming that it has sufficient weight. We prefer to employ magnetic means for the purpose. Thus we may make the walls 43 and 41 electromagnetic as by incorporating the coils in their structure in known ways, and by making the roll 45 of magnetizable material so that it will be attracted to the surfaces of the rolls 45 and 41 and held thereagainst, with the interposition of the lower wall of the bag tube therebetween. Ora separate magnetic retainer may be employed as at 41a as to assist in keeping the roll 45 from moving or working sidewise of the bagtube in the direction of the roll axis.

The upper wall of the bag tube I will, of course, slide over the surface of the roll 45 which surface is moving in the opposite direction. Since, however, this upper wall is not pressed against the surface of the roll 45, there will be no substantial frictional relationship at this point. I

-Any of the separation means hereinabove described and illustrated may be combined with intucking means as will be readily understood in the light of the teachings made therein. Magnetic retaining means may also be employed in lieu of or in addition to mechanical means for retaining the position of the internal separating mechanism as the bag tube travels.

In Figures 14 and 15 we have shown an arrangement which is especially advantageous for intucking as an incident to separation. Here the bagtube passes between spaced pairs of magnetic rolls 53, 51 and 58, 59. Within the tube are small rolls 69 and 5| maintained respectively Other against opposite pairs of the magnetic rolls, and separated from each other. Intucking discs 62 and 53 act to depress the bag walls between the small rolls Eli and 6|, these rolls acting in a positive way to define and support the edge folds formed in the bag tube walls.

The extent of intuckingcan be varied by varying the length of the small rolls 6B and 6|, and varying the position of the discs 62 and 63 and the spacing of the rolls 5'! and 53.

Modifications may be made in our invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having thus described our invention in certain exemplary embodiments, whatwe claim as-new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus for the purpose described, a pair of rolls through which a bag tube may be passed, a pair of smaller rolls to be located within said bag tube in a position to rest against each other and means for engaging said smaller rolls through said walls to maintain said rolls in a position such that their axes lie substantially continuously in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the axes of the first mentioned rolls, said means comprising a pair of rolls, and endless belts each passing over the surface of one of said first mentioned rolls and one of said last mentioned rolls.

2. In apparatus for separating bag tube walls, means for continuously moving a supply of bag tubing, a separating roll to be positioned within and in engagement with one wall of the bag tubmg to cause separation of the walls thereof, two

retaining rolls for said separatingrolls mounted in opposed relation to said separating roll externally of said one wall of the bag tubing and being spaced apart a distance sufficient to support said separating roll in pyramidal fashion, and additional means acting on said separating roll to maintain it in contact with said retaining rolls, whereby movement ofsaid separatingroll 7 in-the dire'ction of movement of the bag-tubing will be resisted by-the retaining rolls, and the separating roll-uthereby'maintained in proper separatingposition Within the bag tubing.

3. The structure claimed in claim 2 wherein said additional means comprises a second separatingrr'oll contacting said first mentioned separatingrroll; and additional retaining rolls on the opposite side of said bag tubing for retaining said secondrs'eparating roll in position within the bagtubing 4. The structureclaimed in claim 2 wherein said additional means comprises an e1ectro-mag+ net positioned-to attract said separating roll to thesurfaces "of said retaining rolls, said separatingr011 being made of magnetizable material.

5. The structure claimed in claim 2 including intucking' means-acting to engage opposite side edges of the bag tubing to intuck the side edges of the bag-tubing, and 'pinch rolls lying beyond 8 said i'ntucking means through which the bag tubing is passed in intucked condition. I 1 WILLIAM WALLACE ROWE. CARROLL L. SPANGLER.' ROY C. FRICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

V UNITED STATES PATENTS Number H Name Date 131,841 Bibby-ct a1 Oct. 1, 1872 2,110,939 O-rstrom Mar. 15 1938 2,401,798 Reichel June 11, 194.6 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date v 524,777 Great Britain Aug. 14; 1940 686,952 Germany Jan. 19, 194 0 

